Two top-level conker players from Nottinghamshire have travelled back from the World Championship, and one narrowly missed out on lifting the title.

Ian and Janine Randall, from Sutton-on-Trent, competed in the gathering which saw the leading ‘conkerers’ battle it out to be crowned the best in the world.

Last year’s quarter-finalist Ian, 49, was knocked out in the second round this year, but his wife, Janine, 55, went through to the final of the women’s competition, only to be knocked out by the same woman who had dumped her husband out of the competition.

Her run to the final earned her a runners up tankard.

Competitors - who came from as far afield as New Zealand, the US and Russia - took part in single and group heats throughout the day.

The men’s competition was won this year by 85-year-old Chelsea Pensioner John Riley, who said he hadn’t played the game for 70 years, while the women’s competition was won by animal charity owner Julie Freeman, from Rutland.

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Mr Randall said he had seen the sport on TV as a youngster, and had put it on his bucket list, and that 40 years on, he and his wife had decided to get involved.

Next, the pair go to Peebles, in the Borders, to take part in the Scottish Open, and "bring the title back to England".

Speaking to the Post, he said: “The World Championship is at the back of a lovely village pub in Northamptonshire, near Oundle. A few hundred enter each year, and it’s a mixed competition and then they narrow it down to the men and the women."

Asked what the secret was to the technique, he said: “It’s complete luck of the draw. It’s a lot of fun really, it’s like a village fair with bouncy castles and stalls and things like that.

“Last year I got through to the quarter finals, but this year I was knocked out quite early, in the second round, but my wife did really excellently well, she got to the final and was only knocked out on sudden death.”

A basket of conkers at the annual World Conker Championships (Image: PA Images)

World final runner up Janine said the secret to her success was her "slow-and-steady technique".

She said: "I don't really go and try to smash the conkers, but because people are so competitive they try to smash my conker and end up smashing their own, so I think that's how I got to the final - I try to conserve my conker.

"I have told people at work, and I think they're quite surprised - because I'm a school librarian it's not the kind of things they expect you to do.

"But I am quite pleased with my tankard - it will be going on the mantelpiece gathering dust!

"We'll be back next year to try to go one better!"

In each round of the competition, the players draw a new conker on a lace out of a bag, to ensure it is random. They then take turns to have three swings each at the opponent's conker.